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Office Ladies

The Paper Ep 5: Scam Alert!

28 Jan 2026

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

4.57 - 13.767 Jenna Fischer

I'm Jenna Fisher. And I'm Angela Kinsey. We were on The Office together. And we're best friends. And now we're doing the ultimate Office Lovers podcast just for you.

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14.167 - 37.012 Angela Kinsey

Each week, we will dive deeper into the world of The Office with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes details, and lots of BFF stories. We're The Office Lady 6.0. Hello. Hi. How's it going? It's going so good. It is? Yeah. Same. It's just a beautiful day. I'm sitting across from my friend, my frond.

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37.893 - 40.757 Jenna Fischer

Oh, that's how I would talk to my kitty cat.

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40.777 - 45.484 Angela Kinsey

I know, you're saying my frond. And also, we're doing something that's kind of touching my heart this morning.

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45.524 - 47.687 Jenna Fischer

I'm so excited. We're finally doing it.

47.827 - 68.502 Angela Kinsey

Okay, so here's what's happening. We are going to break down the paper, Scam Alert. Okay. Episode five. But first, you guys, we're going to kick things off with An Around the Town. This is the segment we've been wanting to do. You guys remember in our breakdown of episode two of the paper, I shared about my grandmother Lena's hometown newspaper column.

68.742 - 75.735 Angela Kinsey

She would document little slice of life moments happening in my hometown of Archer City, Texas. And we just love this idea.

75.715 - 88.881 Jenna Fischer

I loved it so much. So we decided to make it part of our show. And we asked you all to send in your around the town tidbits and moments. And we're going to start sharing them in these episodes as we continue to break down the paper.

88.921 - 93.37 Angela Kinsey

Yeah. And since this is the first one, we thought we'd kick off the episode with it.

Chapter 2: How do Jenna and Angela introduce the new 'Around the Town' segment?

128.901 - 152.931 Angela Kinsey

Why is that? Why is it better? It's so great. I don't know. I love any of their baskets. You know, their chicken finger basket and the gravy with the French fries and the toast. Oh. I know. All right. Well, next up, this is from Trista N. in Alberta, Canada. She says, I live in a small town in Alberta, Canada called Moranville.

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153.452 - 179.528 Angela Kinsey

We used to have this beautiful Catholic church that was built in 1907, but unfortunately, it burned down in 2021. Before it was burnt down, the church bells used to ring all the time, and it was just such a cozy feeling. It took some time to rebuild it, and the church bells finally rang once again after almost five years yesterday. It was such a great feeling to hear them ring again. Wow.

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179.548 - 180.67 Angela Kinsey

Isn't that so special?

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180.91 - 205.196 Jenna Fischer

Yeah. I mean, that's meaningful. Yeah. That they rebuilt them and to hear them ring, I mean- Throughout the town. It just feels like such a, I don't know, very poetic, symbolic of, you know, rebuilding. Rebuilding. Yeah. All right. Elizabeth P. from Bellingham, Washington said, "'So we have a lot of large, tall trees along the freeway up here.

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205.757 - 223.502 Jenna Fischer

Someone put a giant sloth way up in one of the trees, and you could see it from the freeway as you drive north.' Well, the Washington State Department of Transportation took it down, but that did not dissuade the good people of Bellingham from bringing the sloth spirit back.

224.103 - 247.434 Jenna Fischer

After several back and forths of the sloth going up and WSDOT taking it down, the mystery sloth person somehow managed to get the sloth to new heights so that it could not be brought down. So Slothy has been up there ever since and has a spotlight lit up on him somehow at night for all to easily see him from the freeway.

248.034 - 271.762 Angela Kinsey

Slothy lives on. That is so amazing to me. It's kind of great that, I guess, the Washington State Department of Transportation was like, well, it's high enough up now. It's safe. They love it. Clearly, it has its own spotlight. We're leaving it. I guess so. I want to drive by it. Well, thank you guys all so much for writing in your Around the Towns. We'll keep sharing these as the weeks go by.

271.802 - 277.933 Angela Kinsey

Yeah, you can find the folder to share on officeladies.com, Around the Town. I feel like my grandmother would be so proud.

279.436 - 288.472 Jenna Fischer

Well, now it is time for our Chit Chat Question of the Week, and it's coming from Amy H. in Santa Clarita, California. I might have had a hand in selecting this one.

Chapter 3: What are the real-life catfish stories shared by the hosts?

308.207 - 317.537 Unknown

Jenna and Sam, you've mentioned that you both lift weights. What do your workouts usually look like? Thanks again for all your laughs and heart you've put into the show. You all feel like friends at this point.

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318.985 - 322.989 Jenna Fischer

Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy. I love to talk about weightlifting.

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323.77 - 327.573 Angela Kinsey

You do. You get real sort of, I don't know, like that perky face.

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328.194 - 340.906 Jenna Fischer

Perky face. Perky face. I would love to give an update on my weightlifting. I've been weightlifting for over a year now, and I am so passionate about it. I weightlift with BodyFit by Amy.

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341.146 - 353.547 Angela Kinsey

You're inspiring me that 2026 is going to be the year I weightlift because of you. Really? Yes. I'm so excited. You say that. You leave me such great messages about it, and it makes you feel so empowered. I'm like, I want to get on this train.

354.227 - 372.226 Jenna Fischer

Listen, after breaking my shoulder and all that cancer treatment, I am stronger physically than I've ever been in my life because I used to work out, but my workouts were always, I mean, if I'm being honest, they were all geared toward burning calories.

372.667 - 373.107 Unknown

Mm-hmm.

373.087 - 396.249 Jenna Fischer

Losing weight, maintaining weight. But the weightlifting is about something else. It's about being physically strong and capable in my body. And for me, it's also about, you know, making me have less side effects from my medications because it's been proven that that really helps. And I'm like, I can't say enough great things about it. I love it.

396.629 - 404.962 Jenna Fischer

And I want to say I have been lifting weights for over a year with no change on the number to the scale. This is really about strength.

Chapter 4: How does the catfishing storyline unfold in 'The Paper' episode?

405.142 - 417.602 Jenna Fischer

This is really about, like, being capable. Yeah. But I have lost an inch and a half in my waist. Hey! Yeah. So it's like things are, like, reforming. Mm-hmm.

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417.742 - 420.766 Angela Kinsey

You're like a transformer. A little bit. Robots in disguise.

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422.277 - 425.182 Jenna Fischer

Sam, what about you? You're still weightlifting, right?

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425.502 - 436.7 Sam

Yeah, still weightlifting, yeah. So I've been doing CrossFit is what I've been doing. And it's super easy to make fun of, and you should, because people that do CrossFit are crazy. But it's really, really cool.

436.98 - 452.984 Angela Kinsey

What's CrossFit? Sam, can I say that I used to meet a group of friends for brunch, and we'd be having the biggest pancakes and bacon and mimosas and the CrossFit group. Yeah. In the valley would go running past us, like holding like tires and shit.

453.424 - 472.829 Sam

Yeah. So it's super brutal. It's one of those like, how do I describe it? It's definitely geared towards single guys in their 40s. But it's like a lot of cardio and weightlifting together. So it's like sets of things. You'll do five sets of running a mile and then 100 burpees and then 50 sit-ups. You'll do that five times.

473.33 - 474.011 Angela Kinsey

Oh, my God.

474.031 - 474.532 Sam

What? Yeah.

Chapter 5: What details do Jenna and Angela notice in the background of scenes?

555.908 - 560.132 Angela Kinsey

Yeah. But you know what I mean? I need a break from the chicken. Yeah. The chicken, the chicken, the chicken.

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560.112 - 567.112 Jenna Fischer

Yeah, I found these protein shakes. They're mega protein. Really? I think they have like 32 grams per shake or something.

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567.272 - 568.134 Angela Kinsey

How do they taste?

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568.395 - 573.871 Jenna Fischer

I like them. They were very low rated on a shake tasting article I read.

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573.891 - 574.031 Sam

Sure.

574.532 - 592.526 Jenna Fischer

But they're complete. about the shake were all the things I liked about it. They're like, it's a little thin and watery. And I'm like, I like it. I don't want like a super thick dairy shake. This is a non-dairy plant-based protein. They said it tasted a little chalky. It doesn't bother me.

592.646 - 594.169 Angela Kinsey

Okay. We'll have to share it.

594.149 - 596.252 Jenna Fischer

Do you want some of my watery chalky shake?

596.492 - 598.114 Angela Kinsey

No, I don't.

Chapter 6: How does Esmeralda react to being catfished?

699.112 - 704.842 Angela Kinsey

Jen, I want you to know forever that we podcast. You can be in stories anytime you want.

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707.387 - 734.893 Jenna Fischer

Well, I'm trying in the new year. I'm trying to contribute more to our stories. All right. It's a little goal of mine. All right. All right. We'll take a break and we'll be back. We're breaking down season one, episode five, Scam Alert of the paper. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. You know, just because it's a new year, that does not mean you have to be a new you.

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734.933 - 759.188 Jenna Fischer

But maybe you want to be a less burdened you, a clearer you, not a totally new you, but maybe like you just want to hone in. You want to refine. Yeah. I like that. Refine. Well, therapy can help more easily identify what is weighing you down, what might be holding you back. You can better understand your relationships, your motivations, your emotions.

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759.89 - 767.583 Angela Kinsey

I'm trying to let go of just sort of stressing about the small things because those really just add up. And they're going to be just fine.

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767.923 - 783.928 Jenna Fischer

Well, and you might need help identifying what are small things, what are big things. BetterHelp therapists can help. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally.

783.908 - 795.825 Angela Kinsey

BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash officeladies. That's better, H-E-L-P dot com slash officeladies.

796.405 - 814.394 Emma Greed

I'm Emma Greed, host of Aspire with Emma Greed, a podcast where I sit down with people who don't just dream big, they build big. From culture-shaping voices like Mel Robbins to leaders redefining success like Tracee Ellis Ross. to game-changing entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban. Aspire is about mindset, ambition, and doing the work that actually moves the needle.

814.554 - 826.217 Emma Greed

If you're ready to raise your standards and take charge about the life and career you're building, Aspire is where you start. Follow and listen to Aspire with me, Emma Greed, an Odyssey podcast available wherever you get your podcasts.

829.589 - 839.843 Jenna Fischer

We are back. And like we said, we're doing season one, episode five of The Paper, Scam Alert. This episode was written by Mo Welch, who also plays Kimberly on the show.

Chapter 7: What cameo does Esmeralda receive from Jarson?

874.536 - 897.601 Jenna Fischer

I guess so. Writer Ben on the apps. This episode was directed by Tazba Chavez. Okay, this was a big get. I am so impressed. Tazba is the co-exec producer of Reservation Dogs, for which she received an Emmy nomination, a Peabody Award nomination, as well as two WGA awards. There are lots of connections to office folks.

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898.241 - 905.968 Jenna Fischer

She was a writer on Ed Helms' series, Rutherford Falls, and she directed The Sex Lives of College Girls, and now The Paper.

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905.948 - 908.052 Angela Kinsey

Oh, that's very office-centric.

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909.115 - 931.188 Jenna Fischer

So we've got kind of a powerhouse here with our writer and director of this episode. Are you ready for a summary? I live for it. Here it is. In this episode, Ned pursues a juicy catfishing story only to discover that Esmeralda is one of the victims. Oh, poor Esmeralda. Oh, my God. She's so good in this episode. She is.

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931.248 - 948.074 Jenna Fischer

The team scrambles to expose the scam while Esmeralda stubbornly insists that this guy is real. She keeps sending him money. Meanwhile, Detrick and Nicole are still figuring out their relationship status, and Mare helps Ned with his online dating profile.

948.635 - 950.357 Angela Kinsey

They're very cutesy in this episode.

950.557 - 950.938 Jenna Fischer

They are.

950.978 - 951.599 Angela Kinsey

Mare and Ned.

951.96 - 953.915 Jenna Fischer

Yeah. Yeah. Things are heating up.

Chapter 8: What lessons can we learn from catfishing experiences?

985.817 - 994.448 Jenna Fischer

There's something you missed. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's what this is today, everybody. This is your extra gift. You're going to love it. Are you ready?

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994.809 - 996.351 Angela Kinsey

Yeah, you're really selling it.

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996.854 - 1020.313 Jenna Fischer

Well, I don't know. I found this interesting. This episode is one of the fan favorites of season one of the paper. Oh. There are like a gazillion Reddit threads that are dedicated to the paper, and they all rave about this episode. According to seriesgraph.com, this is a website that just makes graphs of different TV series and their most popular episodes. This one got a rating of 7.8.

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1020.293 - 1021.235 Angela Kinsey

That's very high.

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1021.276 - 1042.142 Jenna Fischer

There's two other episodes rated that highly. And then the season finale, that one got an 8.6. That is the, like, everybody's, like, in love with the series finale. I can't wait. I'm not there yet. Yes. Also on IMDb, this was the second highest rated episode of the 10 episodes of the paper. Congratulations, Mo and Tazba.

1042.383 - 1059.48 Angela Kinsey

Yeah. Well, why don't we get to this breakdown? I want you guys to know in the Peacock version, which is the extended version, there is a very funny cold open. It is not in the NBC broadcast version, but I want to give it a shout out. Basically, Esmeralda is in charge of...

1059.46 - 1087.155 Angela Kinsey

planning pride month like what they're doing for it are they going to have a float ken wants to have like rainbow toilet paper that they're going to sell everyone pitches themes for what their float's going to be it's very funny cold open but one of the reasons i wanted to bring it up is that mo specifically talked about how obsessed she is with cold opens when we chatted with her and i loved this perspective we love a writer's perspective

1087.135 - 1106.583 Angela Kinsey

She said because she's a stand-up comedian, she feels like cold opens are like doing a set. It's like you get to do a stand-up joke as part of your episode. And she said for this particular episode, they did not have a cold open written on the day of the table read. And she had to be in hair and makeup at 545.

1106.924 - 1114.915 Angela Kinsey

So I guess she quickly wrote two cold opens and then Greg picked the one that ended up in the show and it didn't even change. It just was the way she wrote it.

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